62: When the Care System Isn’t Caring

Imagine being moved more than 100 times as a child. Seriously, just think about that. Those moves weren’t simply between foster homes or children’s homes. They included squats, hospitals, refuges and other places that, for a time, had to serve as somewhere to be. This episode features Terry Galloway, and Terry came to Gobsmacked through Diane Bialek, who basically said, “You need to talk to this man.” She was right. Diane and our host, Catherine Williamson, were school friends in Nottingham. They hadn’t seen each other for more than 45 years, so yes, there’s some reminiscing. Names, memories and the ridiculous things you remember decades later. Back then they were singing along to Billy Don’t Be a Hero, willing Nottingham Forest on to win the European Cup and staying up crazy late to watch Torvill and Dean perform Boléro. Those were some of the things occupying their young worlds. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the country, Terry was growing up, and his childhood looked nothing like theirs. Home wasn’t necessarily home, safe wasn’t necessarily safe, and the adults weren’t necessarily staying. Terry is care experienced. There has been loss in his life. Real loss. The sort that could quite reasonably have silenced somebody. It hasn’t. He has become a formidable campaigner for people with care experience and is fighting for care experience to be recognised as a protected characteristic. Not because it sounds good on a policy document, but because where life sets you down matters. And if somebody starts the race carrying what Terry was carrying, perhaps the very least the rest of us can do is stop pretending everybody started at the same line. This one matters. Have a listen. * * * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.